DAVAO CITY (PIA)--The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office gave its assurance that it can provide families that were affected by the shear line weather disturbance with food packs as well as non-food items. 

DSWD Regional Director Vanessa Goc-ong said that the government is always ready to respond to victims in times of disaster.

The food assistance consists of six kilograms of rice, eight sachets of coffee, eight packs of instant noodles, and six canned food (three sardines and three corned beef).

“It is good for a family of five that will last for three days,” she said, adding that DSWD also provides non-food items consisting of family kits, sleeping kits, and hygiene kits.

Other non-food items include mosquito nets, laminated sacks, plastic mats, modular tents, and kitchen utensils, she said.

Goc-ong said a total cost of P49,576,273.10 for food and non-food assistance was given to 134,879 affected families in the 337 barangays in Davao Region.

She added that they are also ready to provide financial burial assistance to the 16 individuals who died during the disaster, stressing that affected families can indicate on the forms the point person so that someone can be coordinated by the office.

Meanwhile, assistant regional director Lennie Alegre of the OCD calls on DSWD to avoid duplication of assistance, especially of food and non-food items being asked by the community leaders.

She said LGUs, governors, and congressmen might ask for assistance through the DSWD for their constituents affected by the shear line.

As of 9 a.m. on January 26, Hazel Cirunay, focal person of the Disaster Response Operation Management Information Center of the DSWD XI, reported that the total number of affected families in Davao Region rose to 192,371.

She said 110,123 food packs have been delivered so far to the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, and Davao Occidental, while 756 non-food items were already delivered to Davao de Oro.

“We still need to follow up on the filtration machine from the DOH for future use,” she said.

Luisita Monje, officer-in-charge of the Public Settlement and Urban Development Division of the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development, said they still have 25 shelter-grade tarpaulins at their disposal. 

“We have not given it to Davao de Oro or anywhere in Davao Region.  These items are left-overs of our assistance for the communities of Davao Occidental during the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit the area,” she said.

Monje assured they are willing to release the tarpaulins where these are most needed.

 On the other hand, Epifania Tagayno, chief of the Disaster Response Division of the Davao City Social Welfare and Development Office, said  that a total of 2,000 families have been evacuated from flood-prone areas in the city due to the shear line.

She said the affected families were given food through community cooking.

“We did not give food packs; instead, we gave them warm food through the community cooking. They were provided with food while they were waiting for the water level to go down,” Tagayno said.  (JSGD/PIA Davao)